DIY Airplane: What’s Behind Your Homemade Wings

When Richard VanGrunsven began modifying the airplane he bought while serving in the Air Force, he never dreamed of launching what would become one of the most successful kitplane businesses ever.

Like many do-it-yourself types, VanGrunsven simply wanted to improve what he had — in this case, a 65-horsepower airplane known as a Stits Playboy. He started by installing a bigger engine to provide more speed and climbing capability. He modified the wings so it could take off and land in a shorter distance. The newly modified airplane would be known as the RV-1.

Since the RV-1 was a bit of a hybrid, VanGrunsven couldn't get all the performance he wanted from the airplane. He was looking for something that could use a small runway (especially the one at his family farm), had sufficient power and maneuverability to perform basic aerobatics and could maintain a good to cruise speed. He would later call this ideal blend of features "total performance."

Nothing he saw delivered what he wanted, so VanGrunsven decided to design and build his own airplane from scratch. The result was the single-seat RV-3, an example of which is pictured above.

Van's Aircraft was born.

Photo: Van's Aircraft

In the years since the RV-3 first flew in 1971, VanGrunsven's company has grown from a small one-man operation selling plans into a thriving operation manufacturing kits for seven different aircraft.

The updated single-seater RV-3 remains popular because of its impressive performance-to-price ratio. Some builders can get one airborne for less than $30,000. Other models offer two, three and even four seats in aircraft of varying design. Kits start at $14,810.

Van's most recent design is the RV-12 (pictured above), an airplane built to the relatively new Light Sport Aircraft specifications designed to make getting into aviation cheaper and easier. The plane, like the RV-9 and RV-10 before it, aren't designed for aerobatics, but they still retain the light, well harmonized controls that still make them a delight to fly.

We recently flew the RV-12, an airplane a skilled builder can build for about $60,000. Before taking to the air, we took a look around the Van's Aircraft factory.

Photo: Van's Aircraft

A wide variety of kits ship out the door at Van's Aircraft factory in Aurora, Oregon, each day. More than 7,544 Van's Aircraft have been built and flown over the years. The factory doesn't actually build airplanes; it builds the pieces. The rest is up to you.

Homebuilt airplanes have been around since the beginning of aviation. The Wright Brothers built their own airplane, of course, and even today assembling your own aircraft remains popular.

In the early days VanGrunsven sold plans and left it to builder-pilots to fabricate their own parts. Today, many of the parts are prefabricated, dramatically cutting down the time required to build an airplane

The airplanes are assembled largely of aluminum, but there are some fiberglass parts like the engine cowlings shown above alongside engine mounts -- the white brackets stacked neatly to the right.

Many customers opt to buy their airplane in stages. They can begin with a tail kit and assemble the plane one section at a time. This reduces the initial cost and makes the task less intimidating.

How long you'll need to finish a plane depends upon a wide range of factors, not the least of which is how often you actually work on it. Other factors include the level of detail and finishing work you plan on, and what kind of building skills you bring to the table. You don't need any prior experience to build a Van's, but it certainly makes things go easier. First-timers should plan on spending several hundred, or even thousand, hours building their airplane. So-called "repeat offenders" who have built two, three or even more airplanes can crank one out much faster.

Here pre-cut aluminum panels are being crated for an RV-12 kit being prepared for shipping.

Photos: Jason Paur/Wired.com

There was a time when homebuilders had to spend many hours measuring, cutting, measuring again, drilling, measuring again and fabricating the pieces of their airplanes from scratch. It was tedious and time-consuming. These days most of the pieces for most of the kits are prefabricated, making construction a snap.

Like many "kitplane" companies, Van's Aircraft also offers "quickbuild" kits for builders who lack the patience or desire (or both) to build every piece of their airplane. Such kits offer pre-assembled sub-assemblies. You've still got to put everything together if you want a working airplane, and you're on the hook for the engine, instruments, propeller, avionics and upholstery. But it makes the job much easier and gets you airborne in 800 to 1,200 hours.

Building a Van's Aircraft kit does not require any advanced skills. In fact, the most common task is riveting aluminum pieces together, something many builders do during "riveting parties." Children often find it especially fun, and their small, flexible hands means they're often sought out for their ability to work in small spaces.

More advanced tasks like precision welding and advanced fabrication are done at the factory. Things like engine mounts are bolted to the fuselage, and the engine is then mounted. Easy.

Some of the riveting and assembly is done at the factory. Here, a wing spar — the main beam that provides the strength for the wing — is being riveted together.

Unlike other RV airplanes, the RV-12 features removable wings so it's easy to park in smaller spaces. They can be removed in minutes, allowing the airplane to be put on a trailer or pushed into a corner of a hangar.

Most homebuilders don't have large hydraulic presses in their garages, so one problem they often run into is fabricating parts precisely enough to make them fit together perfectly. That's not an issue with a kitplane.

Granted, a kitplanes still requires some "massaging" to get everything together just right, but using parts precision-made on a giant press like this one makes the job so much easier.

Photos: Jason Paur/Wired.com. Video: Van's Aircraft.

The amount of time required to build one of Van's airplanes varies according to the model. Older designs that require more fabrication on the part of the builder will of course take the longest. If you want to build an RV-3 or RV-4, you'll need around 2,000 hours, according to the company.

Many of the aluminum parts on the RV-7, RV-8 and RV-9 are pre-drilled for easier fitment and riveting. That saves time, and those planes can be built in around 1,500 hours.

The four-seat RV-10 requires about 2,000 hours, but the RV-12 was designed with a shorter build time in mind and can be done in as little as 700 hours.

These are guidelines, of course. Some experienced builders can whip out a plane much more quickly. But many builders opt to take their time on the finishing work and details, outfitting their planes with especially nice interiors and avionics. Building a top-shelf, show-winning airplane can double the construction time.

Once the plane is assembled, there's still the matter of painting it. Many builders can't wait to get airborne and opt to keep the plane unpainted for awhile. Others want to take a few shakedown flights to work out any small bugs before committing to paint.

The company has sold thousands of planes over the years. The RV-12 is the newest, and about 150 have flown so far. The RV-6, a two-seater introduced in 1986, is by far the most popular model the company has ever offered, with more than 2,450 currently flying.

This video shows the flight characteristics of the RV-12, which features a Rotax 912ULS 100-horsepower engine. The plane can carry two passengers, 20 gallons of fuel and 50 pounds of cargo.